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“Invent a New India Using Knowledge”

है”ह”ह

IS 12237 (1987): Recommendations for loose housing systemsof animals [FAD 5: Livestock Feeds, Equipment and Systems]

,

UDC 631.223.24-012 IS : 12237 - 1987

Ilndian Standard

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LOOSE HOUSING SYSTEM FOR ANIMALS

1. scope - This standard recommends the layout and constructional details of loose housing system for animals.

1.1 Various features covered in this standard are primarily meant for herd size of 60 adult cow: or buffaloes.

2. Terminology - For the purpose of this standard, the following definitions shall apply.

2.1 Loose House - Animal house comprising of an open paddock or yard with a shelter having common watering and feeding facilities and in which animals are kept untied.

2.2 Paddock or Yard - cattle.

An open area surrounded by walls, fences or rails for accommodating This area is meant to provide open air exercise to the animals.

2.3 She/ter--This is a covered area, normally one-third of the area of the paddock and is located in the middle or along one side of the latter. from direct sun or rain.

This is the area where the animals may take protection

2.4 feeding Arrangements-These comprise of common manger normally situated along the long axis of the covered area or sometimes an additional one in the open area.

2.5 Watering Arrangements - These comprise of water tanks made as partitioned portions of feed manger or as separate units in the open area.

3. Selection of Site

3.1 The housing system should meet the provisions given under 3.1 to 3.4 of IS : 11786- 1986 ‘Recommendations for cattle housing for an average farmer’.

3.2 The site shall be such that the longer axis of the wall of the shed should be oriented east to west in all areas except temperate Himalayan and hilly regions. In coastal and desert areas, the longer axis of the shed shall be oriented across the prevailing wind direction in order to protect the roof from being blown off by high wind and at the same time to provide sufficient air move- ment in the shed. In sub-mountainous region, the buildings should be so sited as to avail of the natural aeration and drying. The site shall be away from other buildings.

4. Herd Size-A 50-cow or buffalo dairy farm normally comprises of 35 to 40 cows/buffaloes, 10 to 15 dry animals, 35 to 40 male and female or 15 to 20 female calves, 20 to 26 growing female stock of 1 to 3 years age, 1 or 2 bulls and 2 or 3 pair of bullocks.

5. Building Units - In general, the buildings can be grouped into following three categories:

a) Buildings in which there is maximum labour activity, frequent handling of animals and need for closer and constant supervision, such as milking shed, milch animal shed, down- calver sheds (maternity pens), suckling calf shed and milk house.

b) Buildings in which there is lesser labour activity, no routine handling of animals and less need for closer supervision, such as dry animal-cum-bullock shed, young stock shed and bull shed.

c) Ancillary sheds where no animals are housed but activities relating to feeding and management of stock are performed, ‘such as stores for ration and dry fodder, chaffing shed and silos.

j. Layout

6.1 Arrangement of Buildings - Economization of space without sacrificing free flow of air and natural lighting or making conditions crampy for animals, should be the broad guideline in arranging he different buildings on a dairy farm. As far as possible, buildings within each group may be

Adopted 30 December 1987 @ September 1988, 61s Gr 3

BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS

MANAK BHAVAN. 9 BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR MARG

NEW DELHI 110002

.

IS : 12237 - 1987

arranged together, with the buildings of group mentioned under S(a) getting the most central and most approachable area, The buildings of group mentioned under 5(c) should be close to or have easy access to the feeding area of the animal shed.

6.2

Note - Shady trees planted and protected in the open area and around the buildings are essential in- gredient of loose housing system.

Typical layouts comprising the various units are given in Fig. 1 and 2 for guidance.

Note - These layouts can be modified depending upon size and shape of available land, topography of land. tinances, special needs, etc. given in 6, 6 and 7.

However, such modifications may not be contrary to the general principles

WATER TAHKS

I r

GUTTER OR DRAWI

FIG. 1

I MATERNITY PENS

AND HAY SHED

*** + * RECORD ROOM

/ rMILK HOUSE

BULL PEN\ L &EN OCOER CALF

+ *TRENCH 5.11

*

+

CHAFFING SHE0

+ + t

GENERAL U TILITY AREA7

+

4

G * MILKING SHED

LAYOUT SHOWING THE FUNCTIONAL DETAIL OF LOOSE

i I I I

I I I ‘

CALF PEN

HOUSING IN THREE ROWS

7. Description of Sheds

7.1 Milking Shed - This is a fully covered barn type building in which lactating COWS are milked. It should be located at a central place with all other buildings arranged around it. There should be individual standings or stalls or stanchions in two rows in a tail-to-tail arrangement. Each standing can be used for milking 3 to 5 cows or buffaloes in one hour under hand milking condi- tions; the number of standings required on a farm, thus, will be about one-fourth of the number of milch animals. The length and width of the standing shall be decided according to the size of the animals and may vary from 1’5 to 1.7 m in length and I.05 to 1’20 m in width. The width of the central passage shall be 1.5 to 1’8 m. The central passage shall have a gentle slope from the centre outwards towards the drain. There shall be two continuous mangers, one on each side along the heads of standing rows and a 0.75 m wide feeding alley beyond each manger. There shall be a shallow U-shaped drain 20 cm wide, one on either side of the central passage.

.

7.1.1 The floor of the standing should be paved with a slope of 1 in 40 towards drains. There should be walls along the length and at each end of the shed to support the beams or the roof. The roof of the shed should be gabled. The eaves of the roof shall project out at least 60 cm away from the side walls. The side walls need not necessarily be complete; large open spaces may be left in the side walls at suitable intervals. When walls are complete up to the roof, as is necessary intervals. When walls are complete up to the roof, as is necessary in cooler and/or heavy rainfall areas, there shall be windows and ventilators at suitable places in the walls.

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IS:12237- 1987

CONCENiRATE ZTQRE

AND HAY SHED

DRY cow CUM

9ULLOCK PEN

rGUTTER CJR DRAIN _

FEED MANGER

TRENCH SIL

FIG.

MILKING SHED 1 1

’ OLDER CALF

MILCH COW PEN YOUNG CALF PEN

2 LAYOUT SHOWING THE FUNCTIONAL DETAIL OF LOOSE HOUSING I

PEN

N TWO ROWS

7.1.2 Some device should be arranged to secure individual animal by neck in each standing. The milking barn may, if necessary, be extended to accommodate down-calvers as well as calves. Milch animal, that are in heat, can be left after milking in the standings and inseminated right there.

7.2 Sheds for Milch Dry Animals - These are sheds for housing milch animals and dry animals separately. On small farms, a partition can be raised in one shed for housing dry animals sepa- rately. On farms with only a few animals, all the animals, milking or dry, can be housed together.

7.2.1 These are simple sheds comprising a covered portion and an adjoining open paddock. The manger and water tank should also be provided. The covered area should preferably be of cement concrete, brick-on-edge, stone slab, Moorum or Kankar, flooring may be used.

7.3 Maternity Fens - Pregnant cows are to be transferred into maternity pens or calving boxes two to three weeks before the expected date of calving. The number of calving boxes of mater- nity pens required is about 5 percent of the number of breedable female stock on the farm. These

should be located near the living quarters of farmer and/or milking barn so that the down-calvers are constantly observed. The pens can be constructed either in a row or in groups of two or four.

7.3.1 The dimensions of each calving pen shall be about 3 x 4 m for covered area and another 3 x 4 m for the open paddock. The covered area shall have a 1.25 m high wail all around, barring a 1.2 m wide gate opening into the open lot. A manger and a water trough of proper size should be constructed in each pen. The floors shall be Moorum, brick-on-edge or cement paved with a 1 in 40 slope towards the drain.

7.4 S;ck Anjma/ Sheds - Sheds more or less similar to maternity pens in structure shall be located well away from the other sheds so that these sheds are inaccessible to other aninrals.

7.5 calf Shed - The calf shed can be located either at the end or on the side of the milking barn. This facilitates calves to their dams quickly at milking time ( if weaning is not practised ), and hand feeding of milk to calves if weaning is practised. If there is a large number of calves, the calf shed shall form a separate unit, but shall be located near to milking barn, so that calves of different age groups can be housed separately.

7.51 The dimensions of calf shed depend on the number of calves to be housed. The dimen- sions of mangers and water troughs shall conform to specifications given in 8.2. Floors shall be of cement concrete in covered area and brick-on-edge in open area.

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IS: 1223711987

7.8 Young Stock Shed - Older heifer calves from about six months of age to breeding age are to be housed separately from the suckling calves. Generally, no male calves are kept on farms beyond six months of age. When a large number of young stock is there, they should be divided into different age groups and each group housed separately.

7.8.1 When their number is small, the young stock shed may be an extension of the dry animal shed or it may be a separate unit nearer to it. In the latter case, the shed shall be constructed in a single row. The constructional details of this shed are the same as for cow sheds except for the difference in dimensions of mangers and water troughs.

7.7 Bull Sheds - The bull sheds should be constructed towards one end of the farm. There shall be one shed for each bull, the number of bulls required being one for every 60 breedable females on the farm, if natural breeding is practised. When artificial insemination service facilities are available nearby, there may be no necessity to keep bulls on the farm, The bull shed shall have covered area of 3 x 4 m dimensions, leading into a paddock of 120 ms,

7.8 Trees - Shady trees, preferably quick growing. may be chosen for planting in and around animal sheds. Leaves and pods of many of these can be used as cattle feed. The following species may be considered:

a) b) cl d) 4 f) g) h) i) k) ml t-0 P)

q)

r)

s)

Acacia arabica

Acacia leucophloea

Madhuca longifolia or Madhuca indica

Cassia fist&a

Cordia dichotoma

Erythroxylon monogynum

Ficus bengalensis

Ficus religiosa

Helicteres isora

Kydia calycine

Leucaena leucocephala

Mangifera indice

Safix tebrasperma

Syzygium jabolanum

Tamarindus indica

Wrightia tictoria h

7.8.1 As far as possible, existing trees of the site proposed for construction should not be destroyed but incorporated within the layout. Further, trees should be planted at pre-determined spots within the layout even before the construction is completed, and the same may be nurtured and protected by tree guards.

8. Constructional Details

8.1 Floor - It shall be in accordance with 7.1.1 of IS : 11799-1986 ‘Recommendations for cattle housing for a rural milk producer’.

8.2 Manger - The manger shall meet the provisions of 7.1.2 of IS : 11799-l 986 except that the wooden planks are not recommended for its construction.

8.3 Water Supply - Water troughs or tanks should be constructed in each shed for the conveni- ence of animals. The water troughs should be built with reinforced concrete, bricks with cemented junctions, stone slabs with cemented joints or plain thick galvanized iron sheets. The water tanks may be round ( generally in larger pens ) or rectangular and shall be located at a convenient place in the shed, its dimensions shall be more or less the same as for mangers for different classes of livestock. A two metre wide paved platform shall be provided adjacent to the water troughs. In smaller pens, a tank can be made by raising an impervious partition towards one end of the continuous manger. Each waier tank should have one hydrant, the outflow from which may be controlled by a float valve. The hydrant can also be left without a tap, and water let into the troughs at regular intervals so that the water trough may get filled as the animals empty them. Hydrants with spouts to attach a hose pipe should also be fixed in each shed at convenient places. The pens and animals ( buffaloes ) can be washed by flushing water through a hose. Wherever possible, the water supply pipe lines should run underground.

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IS: 12237- 1987 I

8.4 Manure Disposal

8.4.1 Liquid manure - The liquid manure and wash water should be taken out of the shed by a shallow U-shaped gutter or drain located longitudinally to the long axis of the shed at the junction of the open and the covered area. Outside the shed, liquid manure from each shed can be lead by means of drains (preferably closed or sub-terrain drains) to a main farm drain. This main drain leads liquid waste ultimately to a liquid manure storage tank through an inspection chamber and a settling chamber. The drains should be constructed out of the same materials as that of floors. The width of the drains may vary between 30 to 40 cm. A slop of 1 to 40 should be provided to the drains towards storage tank so that the liquid may flow down easily. Shallow U-shaped drains are preferable. Drains in a row of pens should be made continuous by routing them through holes in the intervening partition walls.

84.2 Solid manure - When solid manure is collected separately, it should be stored properly in manure pits so that the same gets well decomposed. Manure pits should be located as far off as possible from animal habitations after duly considering the labour required in transporting manure from the sheds to the pits. This is necessary as a safeguard against foul odours existing near milk parlours and as a measure against fly menace. For reasons of hygiene, manure pits should be at a minimum distance of 10 m from wells, rivers and tanks and from the boundary of the adjoining land property. Further. they must be impermeable to water. The size and the number of manure pits required depend on the production of manure on the farm, Total manure stroage capacity may be planned on 33 kg per day or O-046 ms on per animal basis.

a.5 pillars - Provisions given in 7.3 and 7.3.1 of IS : 1 1799-1986 should be followed.

8.6 Walls and Roofs - These should be in accordance with 7.2 and 7.4 of IS : 11799-1986, respectively.

8 7 Paddock and Shelter - The paddock and shelter of each shed should form an integrated unit so that the animals can move freely to any part of the paddock shelter combine. The shelter- ed regions should be paved while the paddock may be left unpaved, but well rammed. The space per animal shall be as given in Table 1.

i) Buff ala 8 4 40 ii) cow 7 3’5 40

iii) Young stock 4 2 30 iv) Calf 2 1 30

v) Calving pen 12 12 1 vi) Bull 26 12 1

Category of Animal

TABLE 1 SPACE OF PADDOCK AND SHELTER

Paddock

(opem~Aree)

Shelter Maximum Number (Covered Area)

m* of Animals to be Kept

in Each Bhelter

8.7.1 Manger and water trough - Manger and water through may be constructed in paddocks with reinforced cement concrete, brick with cement mortar or stone slabs with cement joining, A 2 m wide paved platform shall be provided away from trough to withstand the heavy treading of animals and permit easy washing and cleanliness.

8.8 Fencing - It shall be in accordance with 8.2 of IS : 11799-1986.

8.9 Gate - A gate of suitable type and size may be provided taking care that they are hinged firmly and raised well above the ground. Braces shall be positioned vertically.

9. Ancillary Structures

9.1 Milk House - Milk collection, recording, testing and cooling facilities as well as facilities for cleanning and stacking of milking pails and milk cans have to be provided in this house. This floor space can accommodate the milk recording equipment, milk cooling device in the form of bulk cooler, can racks, milking pail rack, sinks, washing outfit and furniture of the milk recorder. On very large farms, the different components of the milk house, that is recording-cum-milk cooling room, milk utensils and equipment room and washing room, may be constructed as separate units. The doors and the windows of the milk house shall be made fly-proof. The flooring of the room shall be of cement concrete, impervious and reinforced with iron strips located at suitable distances to make it hard wearing. The walls should be lined with white glazed tiles up to a height of I.5 m. A suitable platform or concrete slab in the form of bench shall be provided for keeping the milk testing apparatus.

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IS: t223? - 1987

9.2 Stores - There shall be one main concentrate store-cum-feed mixing room at a distant pface but it is advisable to have a small ration room near the milking barn for storing prepared con- centrate mixture temporarily for a day or two. On smaller farms, one feed store near the milking barn would be sufficient. The feed room shall be damp-proof and rodent-proof.

9.3 Silo - Suitable size trench silo may be provided.

9.4 Hay/Straw Shed - Shed, preferably with walls on three sides may be provided for storing straw or hay. Storing hay or straw as stacks in the open results in excessive wastage in the form of spoilage and deterioration. Sometimes, a simple shed with gabled roof is used. The hay shed shall be away from animal sheds because of fire hazards. On larger farms, the hay sheds can be made into a sort of self-feeding hay bunks by placing movable wooden partition on one side edge of the hay shed so that the animals can eat hay at will from only the portions accessible through this wooden partition and do not spoil the hay excessively.

9.5 Chaffing shed - m,ected.

A shed for chaffing the fodder with chaffing machine or ensilage cutter is The shed may have provisions for power supply to the machine.

9.8 Office Room - Depending upon the size of the farm, an office room may be provided. The office room may also be used for keeping medicines and instruments required for treating sick animals. A toilet may also be provided. A visitors’ room may be attached to the office room,

9.7 Trevis or Cattle &‘rUtGh - A cattle trevis may be provided in the general utility area for secur- ing animals for insemination, treatment, etc.

8.8 Seggretion RQCWV - Provision may be me& for a seggretion room for keeping new animals introduced in the herd for some initial days before their mixing up with the herd.

9.9 Ligtkng - Provision of lighting shall be made; in case electricity is available, a 26 W bulb for each 10 m* space or 60 W bulb for each 20 mz space or equivalent tube light may be provided.

9.10 Biogas Plant - A bio-gas plant of suitabte size may be installed so that the farm wastes (biomass) can be used to produce gas for use on the farm.

EXPLkiNATORY NOTE

Animal housing hetps in moderating the range of microenvironment to which the animals are exposed and optimizes their production by protecting them from extreme climates. Normally, the animal housing consists of either barn system or loose system.

This standard covers the details of loose housing vvhich is becoming now more popular. A number of Indian Standards on barn system of housing have already been published.

In the preparation of this standard, assistance has been derived from the Department of Live- stock Production and Management, Haryana Agricultural University, Hissar.

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Printed at printogrrph, New Delhi India,